The best defense is a good offense. Long-term health is the result of a good offense—proactive, preventive, healthy choices that have an impact on your health today, tomorrow, and beyond. To age well, start young. If you want to be a healthy, vital older person, start by being a healthy, vital younger person.

Good health is no accident; it’s a result of consistent healthy habits. Developing healthy habits now will ensure that you not only live long but live well. To ensure ongoing physical and emotional health as you age, start by reforming the simple choices you make each day.

1. Keep Moving

“The Body Thrives on Movement,” explains Bill Nurge, MA, exercise physiologist and personal trainer in Ketchum, Idaho. We are made to move. Movement is critical for loading the bones and the muscles and for maintaining bone and muscle density. When we stop moving, we get stiff and lose muscle mass, range of motion, bone density, and balance—which can have disastrous consequences. You don’t need to be a fitness junkie or a superstar athlete to stay healthy, but you do need to keep moving.

Nurge insists that variety is the key. We use our bodies in a variety of ways, so our exercise regimen should reflect that. “The more types of movement you do and the more varied the stimuli, the deeper your fitness will be,” he says. “Add different modalities that hit the body in different ways from different angles.”

Nurge recommends doing tri-planar exercises—those that move the body in all three planes of motion simultaneously. “The body doesn’t work in isolation,” he explains. “Do multijoint, total-body movements that work the body, force you to balance, and take the muscles through a range of motion.”

If this sounds complicated, it doesn’t have to be. In fact, Nurge jokes that it’s as simple as revisiting our youthful days on the jungle gym. “The jungle gym will keep you young with all that pushing, pulling, and twisting,” he says. But you don’t have to become a regular at the local playground to stay fit; just look for activities that force you to move in different directions and keep you accelerating and decelerating. For some people this could mean a soccer match, a game of tennis, or a specialized fitness class; others might enjoy walking, swimming, or playing with their children or grandchildren. Most important is to find activities you enjoy so that you’re more likely to continue to participate.

Movement doesn’t have to be exercise or drudgery—just incorporate variety and play into your daily routine. Keep it interesting. Vary the intensity, type, and duration of movement and focus on balance, stabilization, and mobilization. To stay healthy, maintain strength and balance, and prevent the risk of debilitating falls in older age, get moving and stay moving. If you have a sedentary job that keeps you at a desk all day, be sure to incorporate movement into your workday by getting up from your desk frequently. Take the stairs or take a brisk walk around the block at lunch—just keep moving.

“It’s use it or lose it when it comes to muscles, bones, and the nervous system,” Nurge says. “Don’t stop moving. Do something every day.”

2. Eat Well

You’ve Heard It Before, and that’s because it’s true: good nutrition is critical to optimal health. But good nutrition does not have to mean diet deprivation. You don’t have to go hungry or follow the latest fad diet to maintain health. Instead, choose real, nutrient-dense foods on a consistent basis. If it sounds simple, that’s because it is.

Katie Carter, a certified holistic nutrition consultant from Nevada City, California, takes the mystery out of nutrition. She says optimal nutrition starts with organic, local, seasonal produce—and diversity. “We get different nutrients from different foods, so we don’t want to eat the same thing every day,” she explains.

Carter takes a simple approach to food, focusing on the basics. “Start with the building blocks of nutrition: vegetables,” she suggests. Those building blocks should compose the majority of your diet. In fact, Carter recommends that your full plate be two-thirds low-glycemic vegetables (and maybe a small amount of starchy vegetables or grains) and one-third animal or vegetable protein.

In addition to vegetables, it’s important to focus on healthy fats, cultured and fermented foods to promote healthy digestive flora, and high-quality protein, preferably pasture-raised or wild caught. Avoid sugar and trans fats, limit consumption of omega-6 fatty acids, and use caffeine and alcohol only in moderation.

And, Carter says, it’s not just what we eat, but how. “Eating habits are equally important as food choices,” she insists. In fact, she has her own toolbox of important “vitamins” that she recommends for healthy eating habits: vitamin P for pleasure, vitamin T for time, and vitamin O for oxygen. She says it’s important to sit down and take the time to enjoy our food while we’re eating. Oxygen is especially important because it helps stoke a healthy digestive fire and get the metabolism to burn efficiently—so taking deep breaths between bites is essential.

The bottom line: what you eat and how you eat can have lasting consequences for your health. Choose wisely and nourish your body with nutrient-dense foods.

3. Manage Stress

Stress is an inevitable—even healthy— part of life. A little bit of short-term stress has actually been shown to sharpen our cognitive skills and strengthen our immune system; long-term, chronic stress, however, can really take a toll on our health, compromising our sleep, immune system, physical health, and emotional well-being.

We’ll never live in a world that’s completely stress-free, but we can learn to navigate our stress-filled world with ease so that we live with stress, not under it. In fact, Patrick Hanna, PhD, a licensed psychologist in private practice in Erie, Pennsylvania, says the key to managing stress is learning to adapt. He explains that we all have a limited amount of adaptive energy, which is the energy we need to adapt to stress. This adaptive energy is like a savings account: when we’re under stress, we make a withdrawal from our adaptive-energy account. But, just like with a savings account, if we continue to make withdrawal after withdrawal, eventually we’re going to get into trouble. We have to make some deposits as well.

So, how do you make deposits into your adaptive-energy account? It’s simple: do things that are enjoyable and help sustain you. If you’re experiencing mild stress, you may want to engage in calming activities such as meditation, prayer, tai chi, yoga, or deep breathing. If your tension level is high, Dr. Hanna says it’s important to do things that are more physically expressive and involve gross motor movement. “If you calm the body down, the mind will calm down,” he explains. He suggests doing any kind of activity that involves the legs because that’s the largest muscle mass and will help release the most tension. This could mean going for a vigorous walk, run, or bike ride.

Dr. Hanna says another important way of adapting and managing stress is to get your “sea legs” under you. He uses the analogy of standing in the ocean and bracing for the impact of an oncoming wave: if you lock your knees and stand firm, you’re going down. On the other hand, if you bend your knees and move with the wave, you’ll stay upright. In other words, life can sometimes be like that giant wave, and if we go with the flow, it won’t knock us down. “It’s about your attitude and the way you approach the world,” he explains. “If you bring your focus back into yourself and you work with the wave—or life— instead of against it, you’ll be standing.”

4. Get Screened

It’s no secret that one of the best ways to maintain health is to prevent illness from occurring in the first place. Regular checkups and screening exams are critical for preventing illness or catching it early, when it is most treatable.

Daniel O’Brien, DO, a physician with Clinica Family Health Services in Lafayette, Colorado, says preventive screening is imperative. “One of the most important things women can do is get their cholesterol and blood pressure checked regularly,” Dr. O’Brien says. “Heart attack is still the number one killer of women, and to prevent that it’s important to avoid smoking and maintain low blood pressure and healthy cholesterol levels.”

In addition, Dr. O’Brien says regular Pap tests, mammograms, and colonoscopies are important. The timing and the frequency of these screening tests will vary based on your age and level of risk. Women with a family history of breast or colon cancer may need to begin screening earlier than average-risk women.

5. Build Community

“By our nature we’re social beings,” Dr. Hanna explains. “We need connection with people.” In fact, a sense of community is vital to our spiritual and emotional health. Building community is one of the most important things you can do to take care of yourself—your whole self. A community provides a sense of belonging and allows us to feel like we are a part of—rather than apart from—something.

“The need for connectedness varies from person to person,” Dr. Hanna explains. “Introverts may need less, and extroverts may need more.” It’s not about the numbers, though—it’s about authentic connection.

There are countless ways to build community. Some people enjoy one-on-one activities, such as sharing a meal or taking a walk. Others may choose to join a church, a club, or a sports team. What’s important is finding that sense of community. Whatever your method, once you start tapping into a consistent feeling of gratitude, you’ll start to notice just how much you truly have to be grateful for.

6. Maintain Your Brain

Maintaining cognitive function is critical to aging well, maintaining independence, and staying happy. In the past crossword puzzles have received all the glory for helping us maintain cognitive function as we age, but now we know that there is no single magic bullet. In fact, the key to maintaining cognitive function may be a combination of several other healthy habits: moving, eating plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, and staying social.

Dr. Hanna says that movement is important for mood and cognitive function. “When we keep the body active and stimulated, we stay sharper,” he says. In fact, research has indicated that regular moderate exercise can increase cognitive functioning and reduce the likelihood of cognitive impairment.1,2

Staying social is important, too. If you want to stay vibrant and sharp as you age, remain involved in your social network. Several studies have indicated that frequent social activity may help prevent or delay cognitive decline in old age.3 In fact, one study found that social inactivity appeared to lead to cognitive impairment, whereas a vibrant social life seemed to reduce the rate of cognitive decline.4 The research validates what many of us seem to know intuitively: we need each other. We are social creatures by nature, and it turns out that this social activity does more than help us feel connected and uplifted— it stimulates complex thinking.

7. Sleep Tight

If you think you don’t have time to sleep, the truth is you don’t have time not to. Sleep is an integral component of health. During sleep the body rests, regenerates, and produces crucial hormones for many physiological processes. Each stage of sleep provides different benefits to our physiological and emotional health. Some stages of sleep help us feel rested, whereas others help us learn or make memories. Sleep provides an opportunity for the brain to perform “housekeeping” tasks, such as organizing long-term memory, integrating new information, and repairing and renewing cells and tissues.

The average person needs six to eight hours of sleep per day, but most of us don’t get as much as we need. In fact, most Westerners are chronically sleep deprived, and studies have shown that this deprivation has dire health consequences. Sleep deprivation has been linked to obesity, increased alcohol and tobacco use, hormone imbalances, and a higher incidence of diabetes and high blood pressure. Furthermore, sleep deprivation compromises the immune system, making it more difficult to fight off infection. Persistent sleep deprivation can result in significant mood swings and erratic behavior.

Some common lifestyle habits may be affecting your sleep. Alcohol before bedtime has been shown to interfere with high-quality sleep, especially in women.5 Electronic devices may also rob you of precious sleep. Some research indicates that the glow from these devices can disrupt the body’s sleep rhythms.6

For optimal health, make sleep a priority. Set yourself up for sleep success:

Create a sleep schedule and follow it.

Develop a soothing bedtime ritual that helps you wind down and prepare for sleep.

For several hours prior to bedtime, avoid anything that may interfere with sleep, including alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, exercise, work, electronic devices, and large meals.

Sleep is not a waste of time; it’s essential to our emotional and physical well-being. Take care of your health by doing something that comes naturally: sleep.

8. Protect Your Skin

The skin is the largest organ in the body. This incredibly important but often overlooked organ performs many essential functions. It protects against germs, covers internal organs, and helps regulate the body’s temperature. Yet we often overlook the skin in our quest for health.

Healthy skin starts on the inside. To take care of your skin, be sure to get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated, eat a nutrient-dense diet, and avoid excessive toxins such as alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and tobacco.

Perhaps the most important way to care for your skin—and your health—is to prevent skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, with more than 1 million new cases each year.7 About 90 percent of all skin cancer is caused by ultraviolet (UV) exposure from the sun.8 The best way to prevent skin cancer is to protect your skin from sun exposure and monitor your skin for any changes.

There are multiple ways to protect your skin:

Wear a broad-spectrum, high–sun protection factor (SPF) sunscreen every day. Apply it early and often, before, and during sun exposure.

Limit sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the sun’s rays are the strongest.

Seek shade whenever possible.

Wear a wide-brimmed hat and protective clothing.

To monitor your skin, stay familiar with it so that you can note changes, such as the following:

New or changing moles

Sores that don’t heal after 2 to 3 months

Small raised, red areas that bleed after a minor injury

Oozing or crusted areas of skin

Swelling

Change in sensation (itching, tenderness, or pain)

Annual skin exams by a dermatologist are an excellent way to monitor for skin cancer and catch it early, when it is most treatable. The American Academy of Dermatology partners with dermatologists across the United States to offer free skin cancer screenings in an effort to improve the rates of early detection.

9. Laugh

A life without laughter is no life at all. Laughing is more than just fun—it’s good for your health. In fact, clinical research has proven that it can reduce stress hormones and boost the immune system.9

Laughter triggers the release of endorphins (health enhancing, feel-good hormones). It has been shown to elevate mood and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Researchers from Loma Linda University in California have been studying the effects of laughter on the immune system and have found that laughter can lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones, and boost immunity. Laughter increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T-cells, which results in a stronger immune system and fewer physical effects of stress.

Laughter is so powerful that it even works in the absence of humor. In other words, even when you’re not faced with something funny, laughter can be effective. Laughter is contagious and powerful medicine. Find a way to bring laughter into your world and watch your mood shift and your spirits soar.

10. Count Your Blessings

We’ve all experienced moments when we’ve been overwhelmed by gratitude, perhaps even moved to tears. It is a powerful feeling and creates a rush of endorphins that lift us up. Gratitude takes thank-you to the next level. It is a deep sense of appreciation. To feel grateful is to feel warm, joyful, and blessed.

You don’t need to receive a gift or favor to feel grateful; gratitude is a feeling you can cultivate. In fact, gratitude can become a habit. Counting your blessings is a way of shifting into a positive mind-set and seeing your glass as half-full rather than half-empty. In fact, some research indicates that people who are grateful are healthier, happier, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives. They tend to have more-positive coping strategies, better sleep, and healthier relationships.

For a lifetime of health and happiness, make it a habit to count your blessings. Some people choose to keep a daily gratitude journal; others find it’s enough to simply maintain a mental tally of blessings.

]]>http://awomanshealth.com/healthy-habits-for-life/feed/0Stay Supple with Stretchinghttp://awomanshealth.com/stay-supple-with-stretching/
http://awomanshealth.com/stay-supple-with-stretching/#respondSat, 31 Dec 2016 17:33:41 +0000http://awomanshealth.com/?p=17506Maintain—or improve—your flexibility for optimal health as you age. By Joan Pagano Inevitably with time, things change. You feel a bit stiffer in the mornings; your joints are a little creaky; a glimpsed reflection in a window reveals you’re not standing as straight as you thought. Tight muscles may begin to affect your gait. If […]

]]>Maintain—or improve—your flexibility for optimal health as you age.

By Joan Pagano

Inevitably with time, things change. You feel a bit stiffer in the mornings; your joints are a little creaky; a glimpsed reflection in a window reveals you’re not standing as straight as you thought. Tight muscles may begin to affect your gait. If your hips and ankles are stiff, your stride becomes shorter and there is less natural bounce when walking.

Decreased flexibility may be a common aspect of aging, but it is one that you can do something about, no matter what your age. Just a few minutes of daily movement helps maintain flexibility, which in turn keeps the muscles supple and the joints mobile. It counteracts the wear and tear of everyday life, allowing you to maintain a youthful appearance and an active lifestyle. As you enhance your mobility, you increase your efficiency in all activities so that they require less effort and leave you feeling less tired.

Your ability to stretch depends on genetics as well as your daily habits. The unique structure of bones and the length of the soft tissue (muscles, tendons, and ligaments) surrounding them determine the joints’ range of movement. Some joints, like those affected by arthritis, may be “stiff” or restricted; others like those of a contortionist, “loose” or hypermobile. If your joints are stiff, do range-of motion exercises to keep them limber. If they are loose, work on strengthening the muscles around them to provide more stability.

Range-of-motion or limbering exercises keep mobility in joints that may be affected by arthritis, injury, or surgery. These types of small movements (like head, neck, and shoulder isolations) help lubricate the joints to keep them more mobile. Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage that acts as padding between the bones of the joints wears away, causing bone to rub on bone. Although the natural tendency is to minimize movement in painful joints, this can actually lead to more pain and stiffness. Similarly, after an injury or surgery, it’s important to restore normal range of motion in the joint so that you can resume routine activities of daily life.

Stretching is another type of flexibility training. Daily stretches can target specific areas throughout the body to lengthen the muscles and restore balance. Attention to form helps ensure that you get the most out of the stretch. The key is to hold a static stretch for 20 to 30 seconds—or for several deepbreathing cycles—allowing time for the muscles to lengthen. Yoga poses, like downward-facing dog and child’s pose, stretch multiple muscle groups simultaneously, which is restorative to both the body and the mind.

Stretching discharges tension and energizes the body, but it is also important for good posture. There is a natural tendency for some muscles to be short and tight, while others are prone to being long and weak. Stretching can help offset this imbalance and improve your alignment, correcting common issues like the “forward slouch.” This typical posture of aging— picture the upper back rounded, the shoulders hunched, and the head forward of the body—develops from our everyday habits. The remedy is to stretch the chest and shoulders and realign the head by strengthening the neck and back muscles.

Given the widespread benefit to our bodies of regular stretching and the flexibility that results, it’s a good idea to incorporate some type of stretching in your day. To make flexibility part of your routine, start your day with some easy limbering exercises on the side of your bed to prepare your body for the demands of the day; take advantage of small moments during the course of your day to do some brief stretches while standing at the kitchen sink or sitting at your desk; in the evening, stretch out your neck and shoulders and your arms and legs while watching TV on the couch. Make stretching a daily habit, just like brushing your teeth.

Exhale and lift the chest up as you pull your elbows toward each other, causing the upper back to arch slightly.

Pause, then release back to center and repeat.

Anchor the Shoulder Blades.

When you’re in the habit of slouching, your shoulder blades slide forward and apart, exaggerating the curve of the middle back. Creating a “W” shape with your arms activates the muscles that stabilize your shoulder blades—an extremely important technique to use when doing upper-body weight training:

Hold your arms out to the sides, palms forward, with the elbows bent and in line with the shoulders.

To form a W, inhale, then squeeze the shoulder blades down and together as you let your breath out slowly.

Hold for two to three seconds, release, and repeat.

Realign the Head.

It is common to develop a forward head position from our daily activities. This “neck press” strengthens the muscles of the neck and upper back and realigns the head over the shoulders:

Put two fingers on your chin. Inhale. As you exhale use your fingers as a cue to retract your chin: move it straight back, pressing the curve out of the back of your neck.

Keep your chin level, being careful not to push it down.

Pause, release, and repeat.

Joan Pagano is the author of best-selling fitness books, including Strength Training Exercises for Women; a motivational speaker on health and fitness topics; and the owner of Joan Pagano Fitness in New York City. Former trainer to Jacqueline Onassis and Caroline Kennedy, Joan has specialized in strength training for women since 1988. She is an authority on the benefits of exercise for such women’s health issues as menopause, osteoporosis, and breast cancer, as well as strength training across the decades. For more information visit joanpaganofitness.com.

]]>http://awomanshealth.com/stay-supple-with-stretching/feed/0Hello, Bicyclehttp://awomanshealth.com/hello-bicycle/
http://awomanshealth.com/hello-bicycle/#respondSat, 31 Dec 2016 17:33:41 +0000http://awomanshealth.com/?p=17519Jump on the two-wheel trend with a new guidebook to all things bike. Do you remember that glorious, powerful feeling of your first self-propelled ride on a two-wheeler? Can you still feel the air pushing past your face and the momentum beneath the tires? Can you again sense the slight wobble and then the joy […]

]]>Jump on the two-wheel trend with a new guidebook to all things bike.

Do you remember that glorious, powerful feeling of your first self-propelled ride on a two-wheeler? Can you still feel the air pushing past your face and the momentum beneath the tires? Can you again sense the slight wobble and then the joy of the straight line?

If you’re like me, you may also remember the fall that came shortly after those initial euphoric moments, the one that happened at the far end of the street, with your parents at the other end, waving figures beckoning you to get back on and ride home. I still remember that moment and the follow-up, when I looked at the blood on my knee and the gravel on the palms of my hands—and climbed back on. I was hooked.

Or you may be someone who didn’t ride a bike as a kid. Maybe you’ve always wanted to give it a try, but the opportunity never presented itself. Maybe you’ve looked longingly out your car window at the smiling cyclist making a faster go of the traffic and wished you’d learned to ride way back when. It’s not too late!

Bikes are back—or a bigger thing, anyway, as you can see in the bike lanes being added to city streets in communities big and small, in the bike loaner and rental programs popping up everywhere, and in the crazy variety of kid carriers now transforming bikes into commuter vehicles for families on the go.

Just in time, Anna Brones’s book, Hello, Bicycle: An Inspired Guide to the Two-Wheeled Life (Ten Speed Press, 2016; $16) provides guidance on everything from bicycle etiquette and street smarts to what to wear and what to eat to feel your best on the bike. With creative illustrations by James Gulliver Hancock, the book is a fun and entirely practical guide for anyone interested in jumping into the biking life—whether for transportation, recreation, or fitness.

Here an excerpt from Hello, Bicycle provides a glimpse into the book with “The Many Benefits of Bicycles.”

—Diana Price

The Many Benefits of Bicycles

Riding a bicycle may seem like just a small, unimportant act. How could pedaling once or twice a day make the world a better place? But while cycling is certainly a simple act—you are, after all, just pushing down one foot after the other—the benefits are limitless.

Bicycles make us smile, they keep us in good shape, and they help us make positive changes. Riding a bicycle is empowering, freeing, because you are dependent only on yourself. A bicycle gives you autonomy. The one thing needed to get you from point A to point B on a bicycle is you. You don’t need to buy a ticket; you don’t have to follow a timetable. You don’t need to go to the gas station to refuel; you don’t need to check the oil. You don’t need special gear or vocabulary or advanced technical knowledge. You need a bicycle and yourself. That’s all.

People who cycle regularly have been shown to be healthier and live longer, with better blood pressure and a lower likelihood of being overweight than their car-driving counterparts. Women who bike thirty minutes a day or more have a lower risk of breast cancer, and adolescents who bike are almost 50 percent less likely to be overweight as adults.

But the benefits of cycling aren’t just personal. When we ride, we inherently make our communities a better place to live.

More cyclists on the road—who might otherwise be driving a car or taking the bus—means reduced carbon emissions. For example, in the bike-friendly Danish capital of Copenhagen, bike traffic prevents 90,000 tons of CO2 from being emitted annually. If in the United States each of us made just one four-mile round-trip by bicycle instead of by car each week, we would burn almost two billion fewer gallons of gas per year. And you know what else that accomplishes? It helps reduce economic dependence on foreign oil. Cycling is patriotic!

How often does something that makes us feel personally great also offer an extensive list of external benefits? Even those riding a bicycle for only selfish reasons are doing their part (even if they don’t realize it), benefiting the entire community around them.

Given all the benefits, what’s stopping us from riding?

Many of us learned to ride as children, yet somewhere in the journey into adulthood we lose the art of cycling. Pull up a memory of your first bicycle. Maybe it was red, maybe it was blue. Maybe it had streamers on the handlebars. Maybe it had those crazy colored spoke beads that made noise as the wheels turned. Whatever your first bicycle looked like, chances are you probably remember it clearly.

What Biking Won’t Do to You

Give You “Bike Face”

In the late nineteenth century, female cyclists were warned that riding could lead to “bicycle face,” a look of being exhausted and weary. In truth, if cycling gives you any kind of a face, it’s a face with a smile!

Turn You into A Cycling Geek

Well, unless of course you want to be one. You can make cycling a part of your everyday life and stay perfectly normal— although eventually your two-wheeled life will become your new normal, which in turn might turn you into a little bit of a cycling geek. But that’s not a bad thing.

Force You to Wear Spandex

You can ride in your everyday, normal clothes and feel good about it. No need to be intimidated because you don’t have the “right” clothes. Eventually, if you start doing long road rides or racing, you might want sportier attire that’s more comfortable for long stretches of cycling, but don’t let a lack of special clothing.

]]>http://awomanshealth.com/hello-bicycle/feed/0Core Strengthening for Back Pain Preventionhttp://awomanshealth.com/core-strengthening-back-pain-prevention/
http://awomanshealth.com/core-strengthening-back-pain-prevention/#respondWed, 14 Dec 2016 18:07:52 +0000http://awomanshealth.com/?p=17475Tips for core strengthening to stop back pain before it starts By Kaliq Chang, MD Back pain is extremely common with approximately 90 percent of people suffering with it at some point in their lives. Approximately $50 billion is spent a year seeking relief. Back pain is second only to the common cold as a […]

Back pain is extremely common with approximately 90 percent of people suffering with it at some point in their lives. Approximately $50 billion is spent a year seeking relief. Back pain is second only to the common cold as a cause of lost days at work, and it is one of the most common reasons people visit a doctor’s office or a hospital’s emergency room. Back pain isn’t a specific disease, but rather a message that something has gone wrong in the lower back or pelvic area, very often a strain or sprain or a muscle spasm.

In many cases, back pain will subside in a couple of weeks with rest, ice, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication. The good news is that many back-related injuries that cause pain can be prevented with a concerted effort to strengthen the core.

There is a lot of good advice about how to prevent back pain. For example, we should bend our knees when lifting something heavy, stand and sit up straight, stay active, maintain a healthy weight, and eat a nutritious diet. These are all important for our backs and for our general health. But the most critical part of a plan for a healthy back is exercises to strengthen the muscles that support the back, with a particular focus on the core abdominal muscles.

Tips for Core Strengthening

Some people connect the abdominal muscles with six-pack abs and don’t fully understand the more important role they play in supporting the spine and keeping us upright. Stabilizing the spine is necessary for movement and for preventing back pain. The abdominal muscles are the primary supporter of the spine. If the abdominal muscles are not strong, the muscles of the back have to work harder to provide the necessary support for the body. As a result of this extra work, they can become more vulnerable to injury. Developing stronger core muscles will improve the strength of your spine and minimize the probability that you will strain your back.

Common abdominal exercises that will strengthen the core and help prevent back pain include:

Elbow planks

Abdominal crunches

Push-ups

Yoga

Pilates

In addition, specific exercises that develop and strengthen the transversus abdominis, the deepest of the abdominal muscles, which play an important role in stabilizing the lower back and pelvis, are also beneficial. Exercises that develop the transverses abdominis include:

Planks

Abdominal hollowing

Supine Leg Extensions

Glute Bridges

Quadruped Lifts, also called Bird Dogs

Roll Ups

We recommend our patients to do exercises to strengthen their back two or three times a week. We also encourage patients to work with a certified trainer or physical therapist, at least at first, to make sure that the exercises are being done properly and with good form, especially if an individual has already suffered a back injury. While back pain is one of our most common afflictions, it doesn’t have to be. Prevention is the best remedy. In our experience, if you are good to your back, it will take you long way without pain.

Kaliq Chang, MD, is a board-certified physician in pain management and anesthesiology with Atlantic Spine Center. Atlantic Spine Center is a nationally recognized leader for endoscopic and orthopaedic spine surgery with offices in NJ and NY www.atlanticspinecenter.com. www.atlanticspinecenter.nyc

]]>http://awomanshealth.com/core-strengthening-back-pain-prevention/feed/0Be Mindful of Potential for Injury at the Gymhttp://awomanshealth.com/mindful-potential-injury-gym/
http://awomanshealth.com/mindful-potential-injury-gym/#respondWed, 14 Dec 2016 17:15:11 +0000http://awomanshealth.com/?p=174688 tips for working out without getting hurt By Margaret Harvey, DO The gym is a great place to build strength and endurance, but it’s important to be mindful of the potential for gym-related injury. Consider these eight tips for staying fit and injury free at the gym. Start with a warm up Don’t challenge […]

The gym is a great place to build strength and endurance, but it’s important to be mindful of the potential for gym-related injury. Consider these eight tips for staying fit and injury free at the gym.

Start with a warm up

Don’t challenge cold muscles. Run in place for a few minutes and then stretch, gently and slowly practicing the motions of the exercise to follow. Warming up increases the body temperature, heart and blood flow rates, and loosens up the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints to decrease the risk of injury.

Don’t skip the stretch

Start stretching slowly and carefully until reaching a point of tension. Hold each stretch for 20 seconds, and then slowly and carefully release it. Never stretch to the point of pain, and avoid bouncing on a muscle that is fully stretched. It’s terrific to do stretching exercises at home each day to maintain flexibility.

Keep a light touch on the handrails

With cardio machines like treadmills and the elliptical trainer, keep your hands resting lightly on the handrails—and avoid a death-grip on the rails. A clinging, hunched position will cause improper spine alignment which can be jarring to your shoulders and elbows. If you need to hang on for your life, the setting is probably too high.

Cross train

Regularly switching from one activity to another has many benefits over continually performing the same exercise routine. It prevents mental burnout, and since different activities target slightly different muscle groups, the result is a more comprehensive conditioning.

Focus on muscle groups, not individual muscles

People get hurt when they put too much emphasis on one muscle, e.g. getting huge biceps or lats. A better approach is to target more of your arms or shoulders with moves like the chest press or back row. The best exercises are those that work several muscles at the same time because they build functional strength. Wait at least 48 hours before working the same muscle group again.

Pay attention to your shoes

If you play a sport more than three times a week, get the right shoes for that activity,” Dr. Harvey says. “For example, running shoes are designed to put your foot and leg into the best position to propel you forward. If they are worn for activities with a lot of side-to-side movement, it can cause the ankle to roll to the side, with the potential for a sprained or even broken ankle. Cross-training shoes are a better choice for sports like tennis or step classes. Regular exercisers should replace their shoes every twelve months, or at the first signs or wear (running shoes should be replaced every 480 to 800 kilometers).”

Accept your limitations

As we age, our bones lose density and strength, our ligaments and tendons stiffen, we lose circulation, and we generally become more vulnerable to injury. Keep on going to the gym, but use more caution as you get older to protect your body.

Consider hiring a professional

Using a machine incorrectly or putting on too much resistance is cause for concern and potential injury. Use the mirrors, if available, to monitor your form and technique, and consider signing up with a personal trainer, even for just a couple of sessions, for some sensible tips for injury free routines.

Margaret Harvey, DO, is a sports medicine fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon with Plancher Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, a general orthopaedics and sports medicine practice with offices in New York City and Greenwich, Connecticut. www.plancherortho.com

]]>http://awomanshealth.com/mindful-potential-injury-gym/feed/010 Top Holiday Fitness Tipshttp://awomanshealth.com/10-top-holiday-fitness-tips/
http://awomanshealth.com/10-top-holiday-fitness-tips/#respondMon, 05 Dec 2016 16:09:32 +0000http://awomanshealth.com/?p=15976By Joan L. Pagano The holiday season can wreak havoc with your best intentions to stay in shape. It’s easy to get de-railed with parties, travel, and general disruption to your normal routines. Be proactive: Plan your strategy now to maintain your fitness when life gets hectic. Use these 10 tips to keep on track for the New Year. 1) Make […]

The holiday season can wreak havoc with your best intentions to stay in shape. It’s easy to get de-railed with parties, travel, and general disruption to your normal routines. Be proactive: Plan your strategy now to maintain your fitness when life gets hectic. Use these 10 tips to keep on track for the New Year.

1) Make movement a daily habit. The secret of your success is found in your everyday routines. Consistency is the key to building and maintaining momentum.

2) Think “activity” instead of “workout.” Find opportunities to be active during the course of your day. Walk to work, take the steps, lift and carry your groceries, do housekeeping chores energetically. It all counts!

3) Accumulate 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most (at least 5) days of the week. Studies show that that exercise accumulated in short bouts of 10 or 15-minutes offers weight loss and aerobic fitness benefits comparable to those achieved in longer workouts. Take 2 or 3 shorter walks every day.

4)Simple exercises provide a mini full-body workout, no equipment needed. Do 10 to 15 repetitions of body weight exercises like push-ups, squats, and crunches every other day for your muscle work. Too easy? Add another set of each.

5) Combat the negative effects of prolonged sitting. For every hour you’re sitting, get up and move around for five minutes.

6) Count your steps with your smart phone, pedometer, or other tracking device. See how many steps you average and then build on them. Try to add 1000 steps per day every week until you hit 10,000 in a day!

7) Use the small moments of your day to do a few minutes of exercise while you’re standing at the kitchen sink, sitting at your desk, or relaxing on the couch. Visit the Daily Video Tool Kit for free video clips of different exercises.

8) Stand on one leg while brushing your teeth to improve balance.

9) Do range of motion exercises in the shower. The warm, moist air is perfect for limbering up stiff hands and fingers.

10) Stretch your muscles at the end of the day to discharge tension and get a better night’s sleep. Stretch every day for best results but at minimum 2 or 3 times a week. See the End-of-Day Couch Stretches in the Daily Video Tool Kit.

Get simple strategies to enhance daily life with more energy, a better mood and less stress. Visit Joanpaganofitness.com for more fitness tips and strategies.

]]>http://awomanshealth.com/10-top-holiday-fitness-tips/feed/0Exercise for Elders: The Best Decision You Can Make for Your Healthhttp://awomanshealth.com/exercise-elders-best-decision-can-make-health/
http://awomanshealth.com/exercise-elders-best-decision-can-make-health/#respondTue, 01 Nov 2016 16:06:06 +0000http://awomanshealth.com/?p=17409Geriatrician Elizabeth Landsverk, MD Offers Tips on Getting Started Physical activity and exercise are good for you—at every age. For older adults, being physically active is vital to health and the ability to remain independent. Even those who are frail or suffer from the ailments and disabilities common among elders can improve their health with […]

Physical activity and exercise are good for you—at every age. For older adults, being physically active is vital to health and the ability to remain independent. Even those who are frail or suffer from the ailments and disabilities common among elders can improve their health with moderate levels of activity.

“Exercise is medicine,” says Elizabeth Landsverk, MD, founder of ElderConsult Geriatric Medicine. “It can help you control your body weight, your blood pressure and your cholesterol levels. It can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and strengthen your muscles and bones to combat osteoporosis and reduce the risk of falling. It can also improve your brain function and help prevent or slow the progression of memory loss, cognitive decline, and dementia. Physical activity may even help you sleep better.”

With these benefits well established, why doesn’t every older adult exercise regularly? Some think that it’s too late to start or they’re afraid they don’t have the stamina required or that exercise will be harmful in some way. Others are concerned about the cost to join a gym or the need for special equipment. “It’s never too late,” says Dr. Landsverk, “and in fact you are putting your health at risk by not exercising regularly.

Getting started can be intimidating for anyone who hasn’t been active in a long time but starting slowly with low-level activity for brief periods is unlikely to be harmful for most people. As we age, it is always indicated to have a physical exam, get clearance from your doctor. The physical therapist can determine the safest plan of activity. For many, the only equipment you need at first is a pair of comfortable shoes with non-skid soles.”

What kind of exercise is best for elders?

There are four types of exercise that address the four primary areas in which older adults lose ground when they are inactive. A program that incorporates all four types can help maintain these capabilities or even reverse losses.

Endurance, or aerobic, activities increase breathing and heart rate and improve the health of the heart, lungs and circulatory system. The best choices for elders are walking, cycling, swimming, stair climbing, and dancing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults over the age of 65 get 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, again the level of activity is best determined by the physical therpist. After about six weeks at that level of aerobic exercise, most people report reduced fatigue and improved breathing.

Strength exercises that work all the major muscle groups – legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms – help prevent loss of bone mass, build muscle, and improve balance. Strength training, per the therapist, with weights or resistance bands is important in avoiding falls and making it easier to get out of a chair, lift a bag of groceries, open a jar, or climb a flight of stairs. The CDC recommends strength-training workouts at least twice a week.

Balanceexercises are key to avoiding falls and the injuries that result. According to the CDC, more than 2.5 million older Americans are treated in emergency rooms every year for the injuries resulting from falls. Yoga, tai chi, and similar exercises help improve balance.

Flexibility, or stretching, exercises help the body stay limber and improve freedom of movement, making it easier to do everyday things like bend over, reach a high shelf, or look over your shoulder when driving.

“Older adults can achieve good general fitness in as little as thirty minutes a day,” concludes Dr. Landsverk. “It’s important to incorporate all four types of exercise or activity in your routine. You can start slowly and build your endurance, strength, balance and flexibility gradually. Regular exercise or physical activity will reduce the risk of illness, injury and infirmity, increase your mental capacity, and improve your overall well-being. Put simply, staying active will make you feel better!”

Elizabeth Landsverk, MD, isfounder of ElderConsult Geriatric Medicine, a house-calls practice in the San Francisco Bay Area that addresses the challenging medical and behavioral issues often facing older patients and their families. Dr. Landsverk is board-certified in internal medicine, geriatric medicine and palliative care and is an adjunct clinical professor at Stanford University Medical School. http://www.elderconsult.com

]]>http://awomanshealth.com/exercise-elders-best-decision-can-make-health/feed/0No More Exercise Excuseshttp://awomanshealth.com/no-more-exercise-excuses/
http://awomanshealth.com/no-more-exercise-excuses/#respondFri, 07 Oct 2016 15:36:38 +0000http://awomanshealth.com/?p=17178Overcome these common barriers to exercise and reap the physical and mental rewards of consistent activity. By Diana Price Everyone has pulled out at least one of these excuses to avoid exercise—likely more than one. But no more! Jump these barri­ers to doing your body good, with expert tips from trainers Kerri Dorn and Jessica […]

]]>Overcome these common barriers to exercise and reap the physical and mental rewards of consistent activity.

By Diana Price

Everyone has pulled out at least one of these excuses to avoid exercise—likely more than one. But no more! Jump these barri­ers to doing your body good, with expert tips from trainers Kerri Dorn and Jessica Matthews, and see how great you feel when you make the choice to put your health first.

Kerri Dorn is a certified personal trainer through the National Association of Sports Medicine and a certified group fitness instructor through the American Council on Exercise. She holds specialty certifications, including Boot Camp Challenge trainer, Tabata, small-group kettle bell trainer, and Schwinn cycling instructor. Kerri teaches group classes and provides personal training at FIT Studio in Half Moon Bay, California.

Jessica Matthews, MS, E-RYT, is assistant professor of health and exercise science at Miramar College in San Diego, California, and is senior adviser for health and fitness education for the American Council on Exercise. Jessica is also a registered yoga teacher through Yoga Alliance and has been featured as a fitness expert on CNN and by various magazines, including Shape, Self, and Oxygen.

Excuse: “I’m Too Old To Try Something New.”

Reality: You’re never too old! “Exercise is for everyone, regardless of age, says Mat­thews. “In fact, exercise becomes increasingly important through the aging process. On aver­age after the age of 25 we lose approximately 0.5 pounds of muscle per year (which equates to 5 pounds per decade) if we are not regular­ly engaged in resistance training.” And, she notes, exercise—and specifically bone-building weight-bearing exercise—is key as we age, as bone mineral density decreases.

Dorn encourages women to understand all the benefits and to move regardless of age. She notes that you can start wherever your current fitness level allows and your interest takes you. “Start walking with a friend on a regular basis; schedule a once-a-week session with a person­al trainer who can show you safe and effective ways to train and get you going the rest of the week on your own; find something you like to do and that brings you joy, such as swimming, dancing, hiking, or biking.”

Excuse:“I’m Too Tired.”

Reality: If you’re feeling tired, exercise may ac­tually be the best solution. “Exercise is a great way to naturally and healthfully boost energy levels,” Matthews says. “And,” she notes, “your workout doesn’t need to be intense to produce valuable benefits: a study at the University of Georgia found that as little as 20 minutes of low- to moderate-intensity aerobic exercise three days per week for six weeks can increase energy levels and de­crease feelings of fatigue.”

Dorn says that if the idea of an intense workout seems intimidating when you’re feeling low-energy, remember that “you can always set goals to work out for just a short time; and if you feel energized, continue for longer.” And, she adds, be sure that you’re fueling your body appropri­ately to maintain energy throughout the day—and that you’re getting enough sleep.

Excuse:“I’m Not Athletic.”

Reality: You don’t have to be an athlet­ic superstar to benefit from exercise; movement comes in many forms, and you can find the right fit for your interest and your body. “All forms of movement can be tailored to meet you where you are in your current health and fitness journey,” Matthews says. “If you’re feeling a bit intimidat­ed about where to start, seek the guidance of a certified personal trainer who can design a cus­tom workout plan to meet your personal needs and fitness goals.” (You can search for a quali­fied trainer in your area at USreps.org.)

“If you’re starting from zero,” Dorn says, “consider setting a goal to walk or jog for 20 minutes without stopping and work toward that.” And, she adds, make sure you feel com­fortable in your workout space: “Find a place to exercise that is comfortable and convenient, with a welcoming and supportive environment.”

Excuse:“I Don’t Have Time to Exercise.”

Reality: Kids, grandkids, work, chores— the list goes on. We all have busy days, but you can fit exercise into your life in small increments or longer doses around your other responsibili­ties.

Dorn says that for many busy women, sched­uling exercise on your calendar as you would any other essential responsibility is a great way to ensure that it happens. Still need help? Cre­ate some peer pressure: “Engage a friend to help hold you accountable in a supportive environ­ment—family member, personal trainer, friend, or walking partner,” she says.

Matthews says that it can be helpful to re­member that exercise doesn’t have to be “all or nothing.” “Often people assume that to see a meaningful difference in their fitness, they have to commit to spending at least 60 minutes a day at the gym performing intense workouts or they might as well not be active at all.” In fact, she says, fitting in shorter sessions can be equally effective. “Research has shown that even small bouts of physical activity accumulated through­out the day provide great benefit. Instead of one 30-minute session, try performing 10 minutes of bodyweight exercises at home before work, such as squats, lunges, or push-ups; going for a 10-minute walk in the afternoon during a lunch break; and finishing the day with 10 minutes of yoga-inspired stretching while watching your fa­vorite TV show.”

Excuse:“I Can’t Afford a Gym Membership.”

Reality: Gym workouts are great but not necessary. You can work out at home, walk the stairs in your workplace, or take advantage of the great outdoors. No gym? No problem. “There has never been a better time to exercise effectively for little or no cost,” Dorn says. “Try out a video online—there are loads of sites offer­ing great workouts for you to do in the privacy of your own home. If you don’t like exercising to videos, just watch the video and write down the exercises you like and are comfortable with and create your own at-home workout.”

Matthews agrees that there are seemingly unlimited online resources today: “From tried-and-true functional exercises like squats, lunges, and push-ups to unique exercises like tick-tock planks and sprinter pulls, there is no shortage of ways to get active—no equipment required.”

Excuse:“My Back/Knees/ Joints Hurt.”

Reality: If a sore back or achy knees are keeping you from exercising, it may be the re­sult of moving too little, not too much. “Being that many of us spend prolonged periods seated, from hours working at a desk to time spent com­muting in a car, there are a number of muscular imbalances and associated postural deviations that can develop from the long periods of unin­terrupted sedentary behavior,” Matthews says. The best solution: counter with movement. “In­corporating movements and exercises into your routine that stretch commonly tight muscles as­sociated with extended periods of sitting (such as hip flexors and pectorals) and that strengthen and engage weakened and lengthened muscles (such as the gluteals and rhomboids) can help improve posture, minimize incidents of low back pain (something that is estimated that nearly 80 percent of Americans will experience in their life­time), decrease risk of injury and aches, and en­hance overall movement quality.”

Dorn says that specific types of exercise can help relieve common stiffness and achy joints by relieving pressure and building strength: “Swim­ming is a great way to take pressure off the joints and still get a good workout; strength training can help the muscles get stronger, so the muscles and not the joints can do the work.” Another idea: use props and tools to allow you to move through exercises without stressing joints. Dorn says she often uses TRX suspension training for this purpose: “I use TRX with clients in their sev­enties and eighties, as the straps allow them to do squats, chest press, lunges, back rows, core work, and more with support as they hold on to the straps and work through a full range of motion.”

Excuse: “Exercise Is Boring.”

Reality: There are so many ways to enter­tain yourself while exercising. Listen to an audio book or make an inspiring playlist. Work out with a friend or take a group class. Hike through the woods with a guidebook on birds or wild­flowers. Or embrace the silence and learn the principles of moving meditation to benefit from the gift of introspection.

And, Matthews says, don’t forget to have fun, which will bring you back for more: “Finding a form of exercise that you enjoy is crucial, as the more enjoyment the activity brings, the more likely you are to adhere to a regular routine of physical activity long term.” Not happy with the classes or routine you’re doing now? Try something different to find a new love. “From a unique group fitness class like aerial yoga, to attempting a new seasonal activity like stand­up paddle boarding, to playing a leisurely game of tennis with your significant other, options abound,” Matthews says.

Dorn notes that “a good trainer, coach, or in­structor can make exercise fun and also provide valuable motivation.” To find the right fit, she adds, “talk to your friends and neighbors about which coach, trainer, or instructor they like.”

]]>http://awomanshealth.com/no-more-exercise-excuses/feed/0Learn and Move for Healthy Boneshttp://awomanshealth.com/learn-and-move-for-healthy-bones/
http://awomanshealth.com/learn-and-move-for-healthy-bones/#respondFri, 07 Oct 2016 15:36:38 +0000http://awomanshealth.com/?p=17180Understanding essential facts about osteoporosis and engaging in regular bone-building exercise are key to maintaining bone health as we age. By Joan Pagano A study conducted by the National Osteoporosis Foun­dation (NOF) revealed that most women over the age of 45 fail to recognize their per­sonal risk of developing osteoporosis, the disease of “porous bones,” […]

]]>Understanding essential facts about osteoporosis and engaging in regular bone-building exercise are key to maintaining bone health as we age.

By Joan Pagano

A study conducted by the National Osteoporosis Foun­dation (NOF) revealed that most women over the age of 45 fail to recognize their per­sonal risk of developing osteoporosis, the disease of “porous bones,” in which a lack of bone mineral, primarily calcium, causes the bones to deteriorate.1 Even though the majority of women have at least two risk factors for the disease by age 45—namely being female and reaching midlife—they do not perceive themselves to be at risk.

Step 1:Know the Facts about osteoporosis

Now is the time to debunk the myths and common misconceptions about osteoporosis and get on the right track.

“If I had osteoporosis, I would know it.”

NOT SO—the only way to be sure is to have a bone-density test.

Osteoporosis is a silent disease that progresses slowly and pain­lessly over time without symptoms. As the bone gradually diminishes in strength and structure, it becomes increasingly fragile. In fact, the first sign that you have it may be a bone fracture.

Certain people are more likely to develop osteoporosis than others. According to the NOF, factors that increase one’s risk of developing the disease include being female; having a small, thin frame; smok­ing; loss of menstruation when not pregnant; family history of the dis­ease; and having a personal history of a fracture as an adult.2 Medical conditions like breast cancer, mul­tiple myeloma, hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, and prema­ture menopause, among others, also increase the risk, as do some of the medications used to treat them.

The NOF recommends speaking to your healthcare provider about getting a bone-density test if you are a postmenopausal woman under the age of 65 with one or more risk factors for osteoporosis or if you are 65 or older even without any risk factors. If you have several risk factors, speak to your doctor to see if you should be tested.

“Osteoporosis affects only older women.”

Unfortunately, young women are also at risk of this disease. This is because the sex hormone estrogen protects bones; if you have low estrogen at an early age, you may be at risk of osteo­porosis. One key reason why younger women may experience low estrogen—and related osteoporosis—is unhealthy, obses­sive thought patterns about body, weight, and food, which can lead to disordered eating and excessive exercise. This scenario creates a stress condition in the body that alters hormonal lev­els, shuts down the reproductive system, disrupts the normal menstrual cycle, and begins silently destroying bone. The com­bination of amenorrhea (cessation of your period), disordered eating, and osteoporosis is known as the “female athlete triad.” An eating disorder and excessive exercise are both independent risk factors, as well. It is possible for a 20-year-old woman to have 60-year-old bones!

“Osteoporosis is not a very common or serious disease.”

According to the NOF, 54 million Americans over the age of 50 are affected by osteoporosis or osteo­penia (low bone mass) and at greater risk of fracture. For women the incidence of fracture is greater than that of heart attack, stroke, and breast cancer combined.3

The consequences are life changing and include bone fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist. Hip fractures cause the most suffering to the individual and require the most extensive treatment and recovery. Vertebral fractures of the spine heal on their own but remain compressed, causing a loss of height, stooped posture, and in extreme cases difficulties in breathing and digestion. The wrist is the least debilitating fracture but still may require a cast and rehabilitation.

“Because osteoporosis runs in my family, I can’t do much about it.”

While it’s true that your ability to make bone is strongly influenced by genetics, lifestyle factors also play an important role, especially during childhood and adolescence. In these formative years, good nutrition (including adequate cal­cium) and regular physical activity have a positive effect on the growing skeleton.

Throughout your life your skeleton loses old bone and forms new bone. Children and teen­agers form new bone faster than they lose old bone. By age 18 to 25, your peak bone mass— the highest bone content of your life—has been established.2 Unhealthy behaviors during the peak bone-building years, including smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, may override a genetic tendency toward higher bone mass.

Peak bone mass is a significant determinant for risk of fracture over a lifetime. As you mature, you hang on to the bone that you established during your youth. Although bone continues to renew itself, from this time on you will experience a natural decline in bone density, which acceler­ates at menopause. Because relatively little bone mineral can be added to the mature skeleton, it follows that the growing years are the key time to put bone “in the bank.” The higher the deposit, the more you have to draw out.

“All women in their eighties have this disease.”

Even though the risk of getting osteoporosis increases with age (a key factor being a lack of estrogen after menopause), a report conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the disease does not affect all older women. The findings showed that 10 percent of women in their sixties, 27 percent of women in their seventies, and 35 percent of women age 80 and older have the condition.4

“If I don’t eat enough calcium, I can compensate by exercising harder to increase bone density.”

Adequate calcium plus regular exercise have an additive effect on bone. You cannot compensate for a lack of one by increasing the other. According to the NOF, calcium needs change over the course of a lifetime but are greatest (800 to 1,300 milligrams [mg]) during childhood and adolescence, and also during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and then again after age 50. From ages 19 to 49, the recommended intake for both men and women is 1,000 mg daily. If you are unable to consume enough calcium from food, you can make up the difference by taking a calcium supplement.

The NOF recommends five steps to improve bone health and prevent osteoporosis and broken bones:3

Get the calcium and vitamin D you need every day.

Do regular weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises.

Don’t smoke and don’t drink too much alcohol.

Talk to your healthcare provider about your chance of getting oste­oporosis, and ask when you should have a bone-density test.

Take an osteoporosis medication when it’s right for you.

Step 2: Understand the Benefit of exercise

Now that you know the facts about osteoporosis, take action—if you haven’t already—with regular exercise.

OSTEOPOROSIS is not an inevitable part of the aging process. It is largely preventable and treatable. Current research on osteoporosis is focused on how exercise can help prevent and treat this condition.

Resistance is the key factor in both types of exercise that build bone: weight-bearing aerobic exercise and weight lifting. In weight-bearing exercise, your mus­cles resist the force of gravity to keep you in an upright position. In weight lifting, you apply resistance to the muscle to stimulate growth (hypertrophy) of the mus­cle fibers. In both cases, the pull of the muscle on the bone causes a parallel hypertrophy to the bone.

Exercise has a dramatic effect on the growing skel­eton, which is why it is essential for children to be physically active. Once the skeleton stops growing, the effect of exercise on bone is more modest. If you do not develop adequate bone-mineral density at an early age, your risk of osteoporosis increases in the post­menopausal years. Some bone lost through inactivity may be restored, however, and major bone loss can be prevented before ages 30 to 35.

Step 3: Exercise for BONE HEALTH at Every Age

Ages 18 to 35

From ages 18 to 35, the goal is to achieve the highest peak bone mass. Activity should maximize the load to the bones with a progressive (i.e., gradual intensifica­tion) exercise program:

High-impact exercise includes activities in which both feet are off the ground at the same time, as in running, jumping rope, and high-intensity aerobic dance; and also sports like basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics.

High-intensity weight lifting uses the heaviest weights you can lift in good form. Aim for 8 to 12 repetitions, with the last few reps being challeng­ing. Do one to three sets of each exercise. To target bones throughout the body, do 8 to 10 exercises for all the major muscle groups: hips and thighs, back, chest, shoulders, arms, and abdomen.

Ages 35 to 50

From ages 35 to 50, the goal is to maintain bone mass, offset or reduce bone loss, and improve coordination and balance.

Follow the previous guidelines, using common sense. To protect your joints from injury, use good judgment regarding high-impact exercise and high-intensity weight training.

Focus on strengthening the bony sites most vulnera­ble to fracture: the thighbone, spine, and wrist.

Add balance training, such as stork stance and “tightrope walk.”

To improve your stability, incorporate exercises using a stability ball, a BOSU ball, and foam rollers.

50-Plus

From age 50 onward (including post-menopausal), the goal is to conserve bone and reduce the risk of falls and fractures.

Continue with strength training, balance, and stabil­ity exercises.

If you are doing a walking program, be sure to vary your route to include hills and steps, adding intervals of increased speed or jogging, if appropriate.

Focus on stretching exercises to maintain your height and spinal alignment. Changes in posture become more pronounced at this age and can cause a shift in your center of gravity, increasing the risk of falls.

Armed with the facts of bone health, you can make positive choices now that will serve you over a lifetime. If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, you need to protect your bones and avoid impact activities and movements that overload the spine. Consult your healthcare provider about specific exercise guidelines and restrictions.

Of course, this information should not take the place of guidance from your own healthcare provider. Always consult your doctor before beginning an exercise pro­gram or becoming much more physically active.

Joan Pagano is the author of best-selling fitness books, including Strength Training Exercises for Women; a motivational speaker on health and fitness topics; and the owner of Joan Pagano Fitness in New York City. Former trainer to Jacqueline Onassis and Caroline Kennedy, Joan has specialized in strength training for women since 1988. She is an authority on the benefits of exercise for such women’s health issues as menopause, osteoporosis, and breast cancer, as well as strength training across the decades. For more information visit joanpaganofitness.com.

A social media initiative aims to educate and inspire positive change in diet and exercise habits and to promote heart health among multicultural women.

By Diana Price

For renowned personal trainer and Nike-spon­sored athlete Ary Nuñez, encouraging wom­en to exercise and live a heart-healthy life­style is a personal issue: “I’ve lost my aunt and my grandmother to heart disease,” she says.

Ary, a native New Yorker who trained in dance and martial arts from a young age, has built her profes­sional career around fitness, but she knows that for many women getting fit and eating well can be a chal­lenge.

That’s why when the opportunity to engage oth­er women and create community around health and fitness through the American Heart Association #GoRedGetFit initiative arose, Ary jumped on it.

The American Heart Association’s and Macy’s program, launched this past March, aims to “build a groundswell of multicultural women engaged in changing social norms and behaviors around eating and physical activity” through four 12-week online challenges combining fitness and nutrition goals. Ary is one of three celebrity trainers—together with Lita Lewis and Scott Parker—who will interact with and support women who choose to participate, through Facebook through February 2017.

By offering women tips and education about nutri­tion and fitness via social media and providing per­sonal support, Ary hopes to inspire simple, effective steps toward a healthier lifestyle: “My goal is to be an example for others and to end this trend of heart disease.”

While all women can benefit from the mission of #GoRedGetFit, statistics related to women of color reflect the need for continued efforts to inspire heart-healthy lifestyles. According to the American Heart Association, “Hispanic women are likely to develop heart disease 10 years earlier than non-Hispanics, and only one in three Hispanic women is aware that heart disease is their number-one killer.”

Among African-American women, according to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is responsible for 50,000 deaths annually, and 49 per­cent of African-American women ages 20 and older have heart disease.

Ileana Pina, MD, MPH, a nationally renowned car­diologist, professor at Albert Einstein College of Med­icine, and an American Heart Association spokesper­son, says she is hopeful that #GoRedGetFit, which is aimed at women ages 27 to 34, will offer tools and shape behaviors that will carry through a woman’s life. “Bad habits start early,” she says. “It’s easy to become complacent.”

The cost of this complacency, Dr. Pina says, has been an alarming “new normal”: “We’re living in an era when obesity seems to have become the norm, bringing with it hypertension and so many other is­sues—primarily the result of unhealthy eating and lack of exercise.”

When she works with patients to educate them about the value of exercise and a heart-healthy diet, Dr. Pina says, she strives to deliver a simple message: “Inactivity is associated with mortality; the less active you are, the higher your risk; the more you exercise, the lower your risk.”

Equally simple, Ary notes, are the steps toward integrating more activity into your day: “You can fit walking into your lunch break; you can push a stroller to the park—so many daily activities allow you to exert energy and burn calories.”

Added to these clear, accessible messages about exercise that the program will promote are tips about healthy eating and the need for a heart-healthy approach to diet. Through the program, women learn exactly what they need to do to live a healthy life.

“In my family and in the Latino culture, the way we love is by getting together and feeding one another,” Ary says. “But let’s get educated about the way we’re eating. We don’t need supersized meals. Let’s have the foods we love and the treats that are meaningful to us, but let’s think about what we’re eating.”

Dr. Pina agrees, noting the power that women have to transform be­haviors around food and exercise: “Women are usually the cooks in our households; if we can get them to cook more healthfully, the whole family will benefit.”

For Ary, the fact that these mes­sages can be delivered through a social media campaign is key for ef­fecting change today: “Social media allows everyone the opportunity to connect and become educated and to relate to one another.” While the personal inspiration will be vital for women who participate, the oppor­tunity to help others will also help drive change, Ary notes. “When you can help another woman live a bet­ter life, you feel great. Social media creates such a powerful tool to help us communicate.”

Ultimately, Ary says, she hopes that her efforts to promote heart health through #GoRedGetFit will help women put their well-being at the top of their to-do list. “I want all women to know: We matter. Think about yourself as a priority.”

#GoRedGetFit

Women can participate in the challenge by joining the #GoRedGetFit Facebook group. The quarterly challenges are designed to yield optimal results through lifestyle changes. Each challenge will last about 12 weeks—the amount of time it takes for a behavior to become a habit. These are the challenges: